Global and European Labour Law (Advanced LL.M.)

Programme availability to be confirmed for next academic year.

Guus Heerma van Voss

Programme Director, professor of Labour law, Head of the Labour Law Department of Leiden Law School

"Lecturers from Leiden University participate in European and Global Networks like the European Labour Law Network and the Labour Law Research Network. By doing so, they continuously get the most recent information on the developments in the world of labour law and they participate in discussions on global and European level. This enables them to make the Advanced Masters up-to-date as well as useful for participants from various countries."

Matthew Graham

Alumnus, Legal & Players Affairs at the World Players Association

"Knowledge of European labour law assists me in negotiating with a wide range of European stakeholders in relation to social dialogue and collective bargaining to ensure that the labour rights of players and athletes are protected."

"Globally, knowledge of core labour standards is a key component of my work where embedding compliance with these by sports organisations is a critical challenge – including in discussions with the ILO itself. Finally, there is immense benefit to having an understanding of labour law and industrial relations in comparative contexts as a tool to articulating best practice and understanding the merits of different modes of regulation."

Jennifer Meerding

Alumna, Policy officer on corporate social responsibility and sustainable trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"In my directorate we work on the promotion and facilitation of corporate social responsibility which is crucial to reach the sustainable development goals (SDGs)."

"Businesses are expected to operate according the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to prevent and mitigate risks on human rights, labour rights and the environment in the supply chain. Corporate social responsibility is known for its mix between soft- and hard law. My background in Dutch, EU and International labour law gave me the necessary knowledge and legal tools to prepare myself for this position."

What does this master's programme entail?

With the globalization of the economy, labour law too has become a global subject. Issues as corporate social responsibility and decent work are becoming standards all companies and States have to comply with. Various rules and mechanisms exist to promote and ensure labour rights, among which the Conventions of the ILO, directives of the European Union, human rights treaties and the Guiding Principles of the OECD and the UN. The programme Law in Global and European Labour Law (LL.M.) is unique in the world since you will study and compare all these rules and mechanisms from a primarily legal perspective with an eye for the difference between the law in the books and the law in practice, as well as with a sense for the various economic, social, political and cultural contexts.

Reasons to study Global and European Labour Law at Leiden University?

As a student of the Global and European Labour Law programme, you will benefit from:

• Unique in the world: The programme is the only one in the world that combines both global and European labour law, with a comparative element offering a legal degree (LL.M.).
• International environment: In addition to the global and European focus of the curriculum, the unique blend of students and instructors that represent all continents makes our programme a truly global experience.
• Expert instructors: The academic staff members are renowned legal experts in global and European labour law. You will also interact with prominent guest lecturers from international organisations, including the ILO, the EU, the UN and the OECD, as well as from trade unions, employers (organisations), and NGO’s.

Find more reasons to study Global and European Labour Law at Leiden University.

Is Global and European Labour Law the right programme for you?

Is Decent Work across the globe a topic for you? Are you interested in Corporate Social Responsibility and international and European labour rights? How about the enforcement of those rights? Worried about child Labour, forced labour, equal treatment and the rights of trade unions? Concerned about the future of work in the era of digitalisation? Then this is the programme for you.

To be a good fit for this programme, one of the following should apply:

• you are a legal professional
• you have a full law degree (offering access to legal practice) or
• you have a degree at an equivalent level in another discipline, with a sufficient background in or understanding of law
• you have basic knowledge of labour law or European law

Read more about the entry requirements for Global and European Labour Law.

Chat with a student

Do you have a question about studying at Leiden University or student life in Leiden? Do you want more information about the Global and European Labour Law programme? Chat with a current student for answers to your questions!